Here in the Northeast, we’re bracing for a winter walloping. A storm moving into the region today could bury New England in several feet of snow and has already forced the cancellation of thousands of flights into and out of area airports.

While past winter storms have resulted in notoriously bad experiences for fliers — like being stuck in a JetBlue plane on the tarmac for up to 11 hours back in 2007 — the Associated Press reports that airlines are now taking a more proactive approach, canceling flights in advance whenever bad weather is expected. Keeping fliers out of airports and planes safely on the ground may lead to a backed-up schedule after the storm, but should minimize those agonizing tales of hours stuck on a plane or sleeping in the airport for days at a time.

For today’s Friday Free-for-All, we want to hear about the worst weather-related experience you’ve suffered while traveling. A extra-long flight delay? A hurricane-soaked week in the Caribbean? Post your story in the comments below.

I’ve always thought of Australia as a land of undying sun. I ended up trapped in Townsville during the wet season. Desperate to escape to Airlie Beach, I sprinted to the bus stop in the pelting rain – where, to my surprise, a Greyhound was preparing to forge through the washed-out roads. Over a metre of rainwater splashed against the window as we drove. I called my hostel in Airlie to request a pick-up. “No buses coming in today,” he told me.
“I’m on the bus.”
The rain followed us south to Airlie. I bolted into the hostel, completely drenched and barring an uncanny resemblance to a drowned rat. “What do you guys do when it rains here?” I asked, incredulous.
The boy at reception grinned. “Drink.”

In addition to the above story, I have endured a flash-flood following Cyclone Yasi in Melbourne, over 45 degrees Celsius without any source of air conditioning in Indonesia, and below -50 degrees Celsius outside in northern Canada. I have climbed the Great Wall of China in a slippery spring snow. I went skinny dipping in one of Alberta’s glacier-fed rivers that was still half-frozen. I have even suffered from heat exhaustion while snowboarding the French Alps.
And much, much more.

Remember: bad weather simply makes a good story.

For more of my world-wide adventures and backpacking tips, follow my travels at aroundtheworldwithalison.blogspot.ca